The following quote may be attributed to Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel and Senior Vice President of Corporate Engagement Jeremy Tedesco regarding H.R. 9850, the No Funding or Enforcement of Censorship Abroad Act that Rep. Chris Smith introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives recently concerning the rise of global censorship:
“Free speech is essential to any free society. America’s framers understood that, and that’s why this God-given right is enshrined in our First Amendment. Government officials have no business censoring speech—whether in the United States or abroad. It is staggering to realize that the very officials who swore an oath to our nation’s Constitution are using our tax dollars to silence ordinary citizens around the world. At its worst, the situation in Brazil looks like an attempt by U.S. government departments and agencies to test-drive a censorship scheme aimed at the American people. This must stop, and it must stop immediately.
“This bill highlights what has become known as the ‘censorship industrial complex,’ which is a dizzying array of powerful government, corporate, and NGO entities whose aim is to silence views the government and other elite institutions disagree with. By introducing this bill, Rep. Chris Smith is shining light on a growing global censorship problem in urgent need of congressional attention. Taxpayer dollars should not be used to help foreign entities undermine our First Amendment values.”
Alliance Defending Freedom is an alliance-building, non-profit legal organization committed to protecting religious freedom, free speech, parental rights, and the sanctity of life.
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